Von der Leyen reverses course, will attend Carney's Parliament speech

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reversed an earlier decision and will attend the event where Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the European Parliament. Carney is scheduled to attend von der Leyen's annual State of the Union speech on Wednesday, then address MEPs directly on Thursday.

In his Thursday speech, Carney is expected to call for a closer partnership between Canada and the European Union as Ottawa continues to fight a trade war with Washington. After his Parliament appearance, Carney will continue his European tour with meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Criticism from lawmakers

The initial news that von der Leyen would not attend Carney's address triggered sharp criticism among several Members of the European Parliament. Belgian Social Democratic lawmaker Kathleen van Brempt called the decision unacceptable, arguing that when one of Europe's most important allies comes to address the Parliament, the Commission president should not skip the occasion.

Liberal Irish MEP Barry Andrews, who chairs the development committee, described the planned non-attendance as surprising and said von der Leyen needed to explain her original reasoning.

Following the backlash, the Commission president changed course and confirmed she will attend both Wednesday's and Thursday's events involving the Canadian prime minister.